|
While the first
semester of the freshman year of college can represent fulfillment of
long-held dreams, it can also lead to anxious students struggling to adjust
to their new campus life. Statistics show that the largest numbers of
students who leave college do so at the end of the first year –
and that is also true at Saint Joseph’s.
The Academic Center, located in Alfond Hall, enables the College to consolidate
and more effectively utilize academic services – such as study skills
workshops offered by Career Services, writing tutors offered by the Writing
Center, academic tutoring within various departments and accommodations
for students with disabilities. The purpose of the Center is to connect
students, particularly those in the first and second years, more easily
with the needed services.
As part of The Academic Center, the YEAR.ONE
program matches a faculty mentor to each first-semester freshman. Faculty
meet with students regularly during the first semester, helping them to
assess their strengths and weaknesses. They also work with each student
to set goals for academic success and to connect students with The Academic
Center.
The Academic Center
is partially funded through a generous six-year grant from the Melmac
Education Foundation in Augusta, Maine to forward their "Early
Success in College" initiative. The goal is to increase student retention
in college, specifically in the first and second years.
The Director of The Academic Center is Rick Dennison, who is an English
Professor and the Director of the Writing Center at Saint Joseph's College.
|
